U.S. patent number 11,282,719 [Application Number 16/371,286] was granted by the patent office on 2022-03-22 for substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and recording medium of performing liquid exchange processing according to liquid exchange condition.
This patent grant is currently assigned to TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED. The grantee listed for this patent is Tokyo Electron Limited. Invention is credited to Go Ayabe, Ryo Manabe, Kouji Takuma, Jong Won Yun.
United States Patent |
11,282,719 |
Ayabe , et al. |
March 22, 2022 |
Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and
recording medium of performing liquid exchange processing according
to liquid exchange condition
Abstract
A substrate processing apparatus 10 includes processing units 16
each configured to process a wafer W; tanks 102 and 202 each
configured to store a processing liquid; processing liquid supply
units 103 and 203 each configured to supply the processing liquid
into the processing unit 16; drain units 110 and 210 each
configured to drain the processing liquid; supplement units 112 and
212 each configured to supplement the tanks 102 and 202 with the
processing liquids; and a control unit 18. The control unit 18 is
configured to perform a process job by controlling the processing
liquid supply units 103 and 203 and the processing unit 16 and
perform, when predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met
during the performing of the process job, a liquid exchange
processing in parallel with the process job by controlling the
drain units 110 and 210 and the supplement units 112 and 212.
Inventors: |
Ayabe; Go (Koshi,
JP), Takuma; Kouji (Koshi, JP), Manabe;
Ryo (Koshi, JP), Yun; Jong Won (Cheongju-si,
KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tokyo Electron Limited |
Tokyo |
N/A |
JP |
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|
Assignee: |
TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
68055336 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/371,286 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2019 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20190304811 A1 |
Oct 3, 2019 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Apr 2, 2018 [JP] |
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JP2018-070762 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L
21/67051 (20130101); H01L 21/67253 (20130101); B08B
3/04 (20130101); H01L 21/68764 (20130101); H01L
21/67017 (20130101); H01L 21/02057 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01L
21/67 (20060101); B08B 3/04 (20060101); H01L
21/687 (20060101); H01L 21/02 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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H10-177982 |
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Jun 1998 |
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JP |
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2006-269743 |
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Oct 2006 |
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JP |
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2007-273791 |
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Oct 2007 |
|
JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Perrin; Joseph L.
Assistant Examiner: Graf; Irina
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pearne & Gordon LLP
Claims
We claim:
1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of
substrate processing units configured to process a substrate with a
processing liquid; a reservoir configured to store therein the
processing liquid; a processing liquid supply unit configured to
supply the processing liquid in the reservoir to the plurality of
substrate processing units; a drain unit configured to drain the
processing liquid in the reservoir; a supplement unit configured to
supplement the reservoir with the processing liquid; and a control
unit, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a process
job by controlling the processing liquid supply unit to supply the
processing liquid to the plurality of substrate processing units
and controlling the plurality of substrate processing units to
process the substrate with the processing liquid, and the control
unit is further configured to perform, when predetermined liquid
exchange conditions are met during the performing of the process
job, a liquid exchange processing in parallel with the process job
by controlling the drain unit to drain the processing liquid in the
reservoir and controlling the supplement unit to supplement the
reservoir with a new processing liquid, and wherein the control
unit is further configured to: determine that the processing liquid
satisfies a first condition according to a degradation state of the
processing liquid stored in the reservoir, determine, when the
processing liquid is degraded and the first condition is satisfied,
that the processing liquid satisfies a second condition according
to a performance status of the process job, and determine, when the
first and the second conditions are satisfied, that the
predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met for the processing
liquid, wherein the plurality of substrate processing units process
the substrate with a first processing liquid and a second
processing liquid different from the first processing liquid as the
processing liquid, the reservoir includes a first reservoir
configured to store therein the first processing liquid and a
second reservoir configured to store therein the second processing
liquid, the processing liquid supply unit supplies the first
processing liquid to the plurality of substrate processing units
and the second processing liquid to the plurality of substrate
processing units, and the control unit is configured to perform the
liquid exchange processing of the first processing liquid in the
first reservoir in parallel with the liquid exchange processing of
the second processing liquid in the second reservoir when a
difference between an expected time of meeting the liquid exchange
conditions of the first processing liquid and an expected time of
meeting the liquid exchange conditions of the second processing
liquid is within a predetermined period of time.
2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
control unit determines that the processing liquid whose use in the
process job has been ended satisfies the second condition.
3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the
control unit performs the process job on multiple substrates as a
processing unit, and while performing a processing on a substrate
in the multiple substrates, which is lastly processed with the
processing liquid, during the performing of the process job, when
there is a trouble that the corresponding processing is not allowed
to be performed, the control unit determines that the processing
liquid satisfies the second condition.
4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the drain
unit includes a first drain unit configured to drain the first
processing liquid in the first reservoir and a second drain unit
configured to drain the second processing liquid in the second
reservoir, and the supplement unit includes a first supplement unit
configured to supplement the first reservoir with the first
processing liquid and a second supplement unit configured to
supplement the second reservoir with the second processing
liquid.
5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the drain
unit includes a first drain unit configured to drain the first
processing liquid in the first reservoir and a second drain unit
configured to drain the second processing liquid in the second
reservoir, and the supplement unit includes a first supplement unit
configured to supplement the first reservoir with the first
processing liquid and a second supplement unit configured to
supplement the second reservoir with the second processing
liquid.
6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
control unit performs the process job on multiple substrates as a
processing unit, and while performing a processing on a substrate
in the multiple substrates, which is lastly processed with the
processing liquid, during the performing of the process job, when
there is a trouble that the corresponding processing is not allowed
to be performed, the control unit determines that the processing
liquid satisfies the second condition.
7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the drain
unit includes a first drain unit configured to drain the first
processing liquid in the first reservoir and a second drain unit
configured to drain the second processing liquid in the second
reservoir, and the supplement unit includes a first supplement unit
configured to supplement the first reservoir with the first
processing liquid and a second supplement unit configured to
supplement the second reservoir with the second processing
liquid.
8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drain
unit includes a first drain unit configured to drain the first
processing liquid in the first reservoir and a second drain unit
configured to drain the second processing liquid in the second
reservoir, and the supplement unit includes a first supplement unit
configured to supplement the first reservoir with the first
processing liquid and a second supplement unit configured to
supplement the second reservoir with the second processing
liquid.
9. A substrate processing method by using the substrate processing
apparatus of claim 1, comprising: performing the process job of
processing the substrate with the processing liquid; and performing
the liquid exchange processing, in which the processing liquid
stored in the reservoir configured to store therein the
corresponding processing liquid is drained and the reservoir is
supplemented with the new processing liquid, in parallel with the
process job when predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met
in the process job, wherein the substrate processing method further
comprises: determining that the processing liquid satisfies the
first condition according to the degradation state of the
processing liquid stored in the reservoir, determining, when the
processing liquid is degraded and the first condition is satisfied,
that the processing liquid satisfies the second condition according
to the performance status of the process job, determining, when the
first and the second conditions are satisfied, that the
predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met for the processing
liquid, and performing the liquid exchange processing of the first
processing liquid in the first reservoir in parallel with the
liquid exchange processing of the second processing liquid in the
second reservoir when a difference between an expected time of
meeting the liquid exchange conditions of the first processing
liquid and an expected time of meeting the liquid exchange
conditions of the second processing liquid is within a
predetermined period of time.
10. A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon
computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution,
cause an apparatus to perform a substrate processing method as
claimed in claim 9.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application
No. 2018-070762 filed on Apr. 2, 2018, the entire disclosures of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The embodiments described herein pertain generally to a substrate
processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a
recording medium.
BACKGROUND
Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus configured to supply a
processing liquid to a substrate being rotated and perform cleaning
or etching on the substrate. In this apparatus, the processing
liquid stored in a tank is supplied to the substrate by using a
liquid feeding mechanism such as a pump or the like.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No.
2006-269743
SUMMARY
In view of the foregoing, the processing liquid stored in the tank
is regularly exchanged with a new processing liquid (liquid
exchange is performed). Here, for example, if a process job is
performed even at a liquid exchange timing, a liquid exchange is
not performed until the process job is completed. That is,
typically, the liquid exchange is performed after the process job
is completed. While the liquid exchange is being performed, it is
difficult to perform the process job. As a result, the liquid
exchange is performed after the process job is completed, so that a
downtime of the apparatus (a time period during which the apparatus
cannot perform the process job) is increased.
Accordingly, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are
provided to reduce the downtime of the apparatus.
A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate processing
unit configured to process a substrate with a processing liquid; a
reservoir configured to store therein the processing liquid; a
processing liquid supply unit configured to supply the processing
liquid in the reservoir to the substrate processing unit; a drain
unit configured to drain the processing liquid in the reservoir; a
supplement unit configured to supplement the reservoir with the
processing liquid; and a control unit. The control unit is
configured to perform a process job by controlling the processing
liquid supply unit to supply the processing liquid to the substrate
processing unit and controlling the substrate processing unit to
process the substrate with the processing liquid. The control unit
is further configured to perform, when predetermined liquid
exchange conditions are met during the performing of the process
job, a liquid exchange processing in parallel with the process job
by controlling the drain unit to drain the processing liquid in the
reservoir and controlling the supplement unit to supplement the
reservoir with a new processing liquid.
A substrate processing method includes performing a process job of
processing a substrate with a processing liquid; and performing a
liquid exchange processing, in which the processing liquid stored
in a reservoir configured to store therein the corresponding
processing liquid is drained and the reservoir is supplemented with
a new processing liquid, in parallel with the process job when
predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met in the process
job.
According to the exemplary embodiments, it is possible to reduce
the downtime of the apparatus.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to
be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects,
embodiments, and features described above, further aspects,
embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the
drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the detailed description that follows, embodiments are described
as illustrations only since various changes and modifications will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following
detailed description. The use of the same reference numbers in
different figures indicates similar or identical items.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a substrate
processing system;
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a
substrate processing apparatus included in the substrate processing
system;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a
processing unit;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a control
unit;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a time chart of a
process job;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for describing a sequence of a liquid
exchange processing; and
FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams for describing a liquid exchange
processing according to another exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components,
unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, unless otherwise
noted, the description of each successive drawing may reference
features from one or more of the previous drawings to provide
clearer context and a more substantive explanation of the current
exemplary embodiment. Still, the exemplary embodiments described in
the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be
limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may
be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject
matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the
aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein
and illustrated in the drawings, may be arranged, substituted,
combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different
configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated
herein.
The following exemplary embodiments are examples for describing the
present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited
thereto. In the following description, same parts or parts having
same function will be assigned same reference numerals, and
redundant description will be omitted.
[Configuration of Substrate Processing System]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a
substrate processing system according to the present exemplary
embodiment. In the following, in order to clarify positional
relationships, the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis which are orthogonal
to each other will be defined, and the positive Z-axis direction
will be regarded as a vertically upward direction.
As depicted in FIG. 1, a substrate processing system 1 includes a
carry-in/out station 2 and a processing station 3. The carry-in/out
station 2 and the processing station 3 are provided adjacent to
each other.
The carry-in/out station 2 is provided with a carrier placing
section 11 and a transfer section 12. In the carrier placing
section 11, a plurality of carriers C is placed to accommodate a
plurality of substrates, i.e., semiconductor wafers in the present
exemplary embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as "wafers W"),
horizontally.
The transfer section 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placing
section 11, and provided with a substrate transfer device 13 and a
delivery unit 14 therein. The substrate transfer device 13 is
provided with a wafer holding mechanism configured to hold the
wafer W. Further, the substrate transfer device 13 is movable
horizontally and vertically and pivotable around a vertical axis,
and transfers the wafers W between the carriers C and the delivery
unit 14 by using the wafer holding mechanism.
The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the transfer
section 12. The processing station 3 is provided with a transfer
section 15 and a plurality of processing units 16. The plurality of
processing units 16 is arranged at both sides of the transfer
section 15.
The transfer section 15 is provided with a substrate transfer
device 17 therein. The substrate transfer device 17 is provided
with a wafer holding mechanism configured to hold the wafer W.
Further, the substrate transfer device 17 is movable horizontally
and vertically and pivotable around a vertical axis, and transfers
the wafers W between the delivery unit 14 and the processing units
16 by using the wafer holding mechanism.
The processing units 16 perform a predetermined substrate
processing on the wafers W transferred by the substrate transfer
device 17 under the control of a control unit 18 of a control
device 4 which will be described later.
Further, the substrate processing system 1 is provided with the
control device 4. The control device 4 is, for example, a computer,
and includes the control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. The storage
unit 19 stores a program that controls various processings
performed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 18
controls the operations of the substrate processing system 1 by
reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit
19.
Further, the program may be recorded in a computer-readable
recording medium, and installed from the recording medium to the
storage unit 19 of the control device 4. The computer-readable
recording medium may be, for example, a hard disc (HD), a flexible
disc (FD), a compact disc (CD), a magnet optical disc (MO), or a
memory card.
In the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above,
the substrate transfer device 13 of the carry-in/out station 2
first takes out a wafer W from a carrier C placed in the carrier
placing section 11, and then places the taken wafer W on the
delivery unit 14. The wafer W placed on the delivery unit 14 is
taken out from the delivery unit 14 by the substrate transfer
device 17 of the processing station 3 and carried into a processing
unit 16.
The wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 is processed by the
processing unit 16, and then, carried out from the processing unit
16 and placed on the delivery unit 14 by the substrate transfer
device 17. The processed wafer W placed on the delivery unit 14 is
returned to the carrier C of the carrier placing section 11 by the
substrate transfer device 13.
[Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus]
Now, a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 10
included in the substrate processing system 1 will be explained
with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. As depicted in FIG. 2, the
substrate processing apparatus 10 is provided with the processing
units (substrate processing units) 16 each configured to process a
wafer W with a processing liquid (i.e., perform a liquid
processing), a supply device 70 configured to supply the processing
liquid to the processing units 16, and the control device 4
configured to control them (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, as will be
described in detail later).
(Supply Mechanism)
The supply device 70 is provided with a first supply device 71 and
a second supply device 72. The first supply device 71 is provided
with a tank 102 (first reservoir) configured to store therein a
first processing liquid, a processing liquid supply unit 103, a
drain unit 110, and a supplement unit 112. The first processing
liquid is a processing liquid used for performing a liquid
processing on the wafer W, and may be, for example, diluted
hydrofluoric acid (DHF). The processing liquid supply unit 103 is
configured to supply the first processing liquid in the tank 102 to
the processing units 16 under the control of the control unit 18 of
the control device 4. The processing liquid supply unit 103 is
provided with a circulation line 104 starting from the tank 102 and
returning back to the tank 102, branch lines 105 extended from the
circulation line 104 toward the respective processing units 16, and
a pump 106 and a filter 108 provided on the circulation line 104.
The branch lines 105 supply the first processing liquid flowing in
the circulation line 104 into the corresponding processing units
16, respectively. Each branch line 105 may be provided with a flow
rate control device such as a flow rate control valve, a filter,
and the like, if necessary. The pump 106 generates a circulation
flow that starts from the tank 102 and returns back to the tank 102
through the circulation line 104. The filter 108 is provided at a
downstream side of the pump 106 to remove contaminants such as
particles contained in the processing liquid. Auxiliary devices
(e.g., heater or the like) may be further provided on the
circulation line 104, if necessary.
The drain unit 110 and the supplement unit 112 are components to
perform a liquid exchange of the first processing liquid in the
tank 102. The drain unit 110 is configured to drain (waste) the
first processing liquid in the tank 102 under the control of the
control unit 18. The drain unit 110 includes, for example, a valve
(not illustrated) configured to control ON/OFF of a flow of the
first processing liquid into a drain line connected to the tank
102. The supplement unit 112 is configured to supplement the tank
102 with a new first processing liquid under the control of the
control unit 18. The supplement unit 112 includes, for example, a
supplementary processing liquid tank (not illustrated), a pump (not
illustrated) configured to force-feed the first processing liquid
from the supplementary processing liquid tank, and a valve (not
illustrated) configured to control ON/OFF of a flow of the first
processing liquid into a supply line connected to the tank 102.
The second supply device 72 is provided with a tank 202 (second
reservoir) configured to store therein a second processing liquid,
a processing liquid supply unit 203, a drain unit 210, and a
supplement unit 212. The second processing liquid is a processing
liquid used for performing a liquid processing on the wafer W, and
may be, for example, Standard Clean 1 (SC1). The processing liquid
supply unit 203 is configured to supply the second processing
liquid in the tank 202 to the processing units 16 under the control
of the control unit 18. The processing liquid supply unit 203 is
provided with a circulation line 204 starting from the tank 202 and
returning back to the tank 202, branch lines 205 extended from the
circulation line 204 toward the respective processing units 16, and
a pump 206 and a filter 208 provided on the circulation line 204.
The branch lines 205 supply the second processing liquid flowing in
the circulation line 204 into the corresponding processing units
16, respectively. Each branch line 205 may be provided with a flow
rate control device such as a flow rate control valve, a filter,
and the like, if necessary. The pump 206 generates a circulation
flow that starts from the tank 202 and returns back to the tank 202
through the circulation line 204. The filter 208 is provided at a
downstream side of the pump 206 to remove contaminants such as
particles contained in the processing liquid. Auxiliary devices
(e.g., heater or the like) may be further provided on the
circulation line 204, if necessary.
The drain unit 210 and the supplement unit 212 are components to
perform a liquid exchange of the second processing liquid in the
tank 202. The drain unit 210 is configured to drain the second
processing liquid in the tank 202 under the control of the control
unit 18. The drain unit 210 includes, for example, a valve (not
illustrated) configured to control ON/OFF of a flow of the second
processing liquid into a drain line connected to the tank 202. The
supplement unit 212 is configured to supplement the tank 202 with a
new second processing liquid under the control of the control unit
18. The supplement unit 212 includes, for example, a supplementary
processing liquid tank (not illustrated), a pump (not illustrated)
configured to force-feed the second processing liquid from the
supplementary processing liquid tank, and a valve (not illustrated)
configured to control ON/OFF of a flow of the second processing
liquid into a supply line connected to the tank 202.
Further, though it has been described that DHF is used as the first
processing liquid and SC1 is used as the second processing liquid,
the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and SC2, SPM, BHF
or TMAH may be used as the processing liquids.
(Processing Unit)
As depicted in FIG. 3, the processing unit 16 is provided with a
chamber 20, a substrate holding mechanism 30, a processing liquid
discharging unit 40, a recovery cup 50, and a supply path
opening/closing device 60.
The chamber 20 accommodates the substrate holding mechanism 30, the
processing liquid discharging unit 40, and the recovery cup 50. A
fan filter unit (FFU) 21 is provided at the ceiling of the chamber
20. The FFU 21 forms a downflow within the chamber 20.
The substrate holding mechanism 30 is provided with the holding
unit 31, a supporting unit 32, and a driving unit 33. The holding
unit 31 horizontally holds a wafer W. The supporting unit 32 is a
member which is extended in a vertical direction. Further, a base
end portion of the supporting unit 32 is pivotably supported by the
driving unit 33 and a tip end portion of the supporting unit 32
horizontally supports the holding unit 31. The driving unit 33 is
configured to rotate the supporting unit 32 around a vertical axis
under the control of the control unit 18. The substrate holding
mechanism 30 rotates the supporting unit 32 through the driving
unit 33 to rotate the holding unit 31 supported by the supporting
unit 32, so that the wafer W held by the holding unit 31 is
rotated.
The recovery cup 50 is disposed to surround the holding unit 31,
and collects the processing liquid scattered from the wafer W by
the rotation of the holding unit 31. A drain port 51 is formed on
the bottom of the recovery cup 50, and the processing liquid
collected by the recovery cup 50 is discharged from the drain port
51 to the outside of the processing unit 16. Further, an exhaust
port 52 is formed on the bottom of the recovery cup 50 to discharge
a gas supplied from the FFU 21 to the outside of the processing
unit 16.
The processing liquid discharging unit 40 supplies the processing
liquid supplied from the supply device 70 onto the wafer W. The
processing liquid discharging unit 40 is connected to the supply
device 70 via the supply path opening/closing device 60. The
processing liquid discharging unit 40 is provided with a nozzle 41
configured to discharge the processing liquid to the wafer W, an
arm 42 configured to support the nozzle 41, and a supply line 43
extended within each of the nozzle 41 and the arm 42. For example,
the arm 42 is provided to be pivotable around a vertical axis and
movable vertically along the vertical axis under the control of the
control unit 18. The supply line 43 is connected to a second valve
64 of the supply path opening/closing device 60 (which will be
described later) and extended to a discharge opening of the nozzle
41.
The supply path opening/closing device 60 is a device provided on a
supply line 90 provided between the branch lines 105 and 205
branched from the respective circulation lines 104 and 204 and the
supply line 43 of the processing liquid discharging unit 40, and
configured to switch the processing liquid flowing in the supply
line 90 under the control of the control unit 18. Since the
processing liquid flowing in the supply line 90 is switched by the
supply path opening/closing device 60, any one of the first
processing liquid or the second processing liquid is supplied into
the processing liquid discharging unit 40.
If a side where the branch lines 105 and 205 are provided is
defined as an upstream side of the supply line 90 and a side where
the supply line 43 is provided is defined as a downstream side, the
supply path opening/closing device 60 is provided with a first
valve 61 and a second valve 64 in sequence from the upstream side.
The first valve 61 includes a first system valve 61a and a second
system valve 61b. The first system valve 61a is connected to the
branch line 105 branched from the circulation line 104 for the
first processing liquid. The second system valve 61b is connected
to the branch line 205 branched from the circulation line 204 for
the second processing liquid. In the supply path opening/closing
device 60, any one of the first system valve 61a or the second
system valve 61b is connected to the supply line 90 under the
control of the control unit 18. The second valve 64 is connected to
the supply line 43 of the processing liquid discharging unit 40.
The second valve 64 is opened or closed under the control of the
control unit 18 to open or close the supply line 90 with respect to
the supply line 43.
(Control Unit)
As depicted in FIG. 4, the control unit 18 includes a supply
control unit 81, a substrate processing control unit 82, a
determination unit 83, a drain control unit 84, and a supplement
control unit 85 as functional modules.
The supply control unit 81 controls the processing liquid supply
unit 103 to supply the first processing liquid into the processing
units 16, and controls the processing liquid supply unit 203 to
supply the second processing liquid into the processing units 16.
To be specific, the supply control unit 81 controls the pump 106 to
flow the first processing liquid in the tank 102 through the
circulation line 104 into the branch lines 105 corresponding to the
respective processing units 16. Further, the supply control unit 81
controls the pump 206 to flow the second processing liquid in the
tank 202 through the circulation line 204 to the branch lines 205
corresponding to the respective processing units 16.
The substrate processing control unit 82 performs a process job by
controlling the processing unit 16 to process the wafer W with the
first processing liquid and controlling the processing unit 16 to
process the wafer W with the second processing liquid. Here, the
process job is a processing to be performed on one or more wafers W
on which a common processing is to be performed. The substrate
processing control unit 82 selects one processing liquid used for
performing the substrate processing to the wafer W (i.e.,
processing liquid to be supplied into the processing liquid
discharging unit 40) based on recipe information (not illustrated)
for the substrate processing. The substrate processing control unit
82 controls the supply path opening/closing device 60 to supply the
selected processing liquid into the processing liquid discharging
unit 40. When the first processing liquid is selected, the
substrate processing control unit 82 opens the first system valve
61a of the supply path opening/closing device 60 to allow the first
processing liquid to be flown in the supply line 90 connected to
the processing liquid discharging unit 40. When the second
processing liquid is selected, the substrate processing control
unit 82 opens the second system valve 61b of the supply path
opening/closing device 60 to allow the second processing liquid to
be flown in the supply line 90 connected to the processing liquid
discharging unit 40. Further, the substrate processing control unit
82 opens the second valve 64 of the supply path opening/closing
device 60 to allow the processing liquid flowing in the supply line
90 to be flown in the supply line 43 of the processing liquid
discharging unit 40. Thus, the processing liquid flows from the
supply line 90 to the supply line 43, and then, is discharged from
the nozzle 41 toward the wafer W.
The substrate processing control unit 82 controls the driving unit
33 to rotate the supporting unit 32 holding the holding unit 31
while the wafer W is being held by the holding unit 31 (i.e., while
the processing liquid is being discharged from the nozzle 41 onto
the wafer W). Further, the substrate processing control unit 82
controls a driving mechanism (not illustrated) of the arm 42 such
that the arm 42 is rotated, for example, around a vertical axis and
movable up and down along the vertical axis.
While the process job is being performed, the determination unit 83
determines whether or not predetermined liquid exchange conditions
are met. Herein, the liquid exchange refers to a liquid exchange of
the first processing liquid stored in the tank 102 (or the second
processing liquid stored in the tank 202). The determination unit
83 determines that the above-described liquid exchange conditions
are met for a processing liquid that satisfies a first condition
according to a degradation state of the processing liquid stored in
the tank 102 (or tank 202) and a second condition according to a
performance status of the process job. The first condition
according to the degradation state of the processing liquid is a
condition on the degradation degree of the processing liquid stored
in the tank 102 (or tank 202), and includes, for example, an
elapsed time after a previous liquid exchange is performed, whether
a predetermined time has elapsed, or whether the number of sheets
to be processed in the processing unit 16 has passed. Satisfying
the first condition means that the processing liquid is in a state
to be exchanged (i.e., the processing liquid is degraded).
The second condition according to the performance status of the
process job is a condition on whether the processing liquid is in a
state enabled to be exchanged in consideration of the performance
status of the process job. The determination unit 83 determines
that, for example, the processing liquid whose use in the process
job has been ended (i.e., the processing liquid which can be
exchanged since it is not used any more in the process job)
satisfies the second condition.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a time chart of a process job. In
FIG. 5, Spin 1 to Spin 10 represent ten (10) processing units 16,
Wafer 1 to Wafer 10 represent ten (10) wafers W, Chemi 1 represents
a substrate processing using the first processing liquid, Chemi 2
represents a substrate processing using the second processing
liquid, DIW represents a rinse processing, and Spin Dry represents
a spin-dry processing. Further, the spin-dry processing may be
performed after DIW on the wafer W is replaced with IPA. FIG. 5
shows a time chart of a process job which is performed to ten (10)
sheets of wafers W (Wafer 1 to Wafer 10). A substrate processing is
performed on Wafer 1 to Wafer 10 in Spin 1 to Spin 10,
respectively. The same processing is performed in each of the
processing units 16, and the substrate processing using the first
processing liquid, the rinse processing, the substrate processing
using the second processing liquid, the rinse processing, and the
spin-dry processing are performed in sequence. In the example shown
in FIG. 5, the substrate processing using the first processing
liquid starts on Wafer 1 at a time t1. Then, the substrate
processing using the first processing liquid is performed on Wafer
2 to Wafer 10 in sequence. Then, the substrate processing using the
first processing liquid on Wafer 10 is ended at a time t2. In the
process job shown in FIG. 5, Wafer 10 is the last wafer W on which
the substrate processing using the first processing liquid is
performed. For this reason, the determination unit 83 refers to,
e.g., the recipe information (not illustrated) and determines that
the first processing liquid is a processing liquid whose use in the
process job has been ended since the time t2 so that the first
processing liquid satisfies the second condition.
Further, as described above, when the process job is performed on
the wafers W as a processing unit, while performing a processing on
a substrate in the multiple substrates, which is lastly processed
with the processing liquid, during the performing of the process
job, if there is a trouble that the corresponding processing cannot
be performed appropriately, the determination unit 83 may determine
that the corresponding processing liquid satisfies the second
condition. That is, according to the example shown in FIG. 5, for
example, if there is a trouble when the substrate processing using
the first processing liquid is performed on Wafer 10 (the last
wafer W to be processed), the determination unit 83 may determine
that the first processing liquid satisfies the second condition
even when the substrate processing using the first processing
liquid on Wafer 10 is not completed. Further, the trouble includes
all troubles that can hinder the processing on the wafers W in the
process job, and may include, for example, a case where the
processing liquid is not discharged properly from the nozzle 41 due
to the line blockage or a case where a part of the device
constituting the module is not moved properly. If such trouble
occurs, an alarm is generated and the rinse processing on the wafer
W is performed.
When the determination unit 83 determines that the liquid exchange
conditions are met, the drain control unit 84 controls the drain
unit 110 (or drain unit 210) to drain the first processing liquid
(or second processing liquid) in the tank 102 (or tank 202). That
is, when the liquid exchange conditions for the first processing
liquid are met, the drain control unit 84 controls a valve (not
illustrated) of the drain unit 110 to drain the first processing
liquid in the tank 102 through the drain line. Further, when the
liquid exchange conditions for the second processing liquid are
met, the drain control unit 84 controls a valve (not illustrated)
of the drain unit 210 to drain the second processing liquid in the
tank 202 through the drain line.
After the processing liquid is drained by the drain control unit
84, the supplement control unit 85 controls the supplement unit 112
(or supplement unit 212) to supplement the tank 102 (or tank 202)
with a new first processing liquid (or new second processing
liquid). That is, the supplement control unit 85 controls the pump
and the valve (not illustrated) of the supplement unit 112 to
supplement the tank 102 with a new first processing liquid.
Further, the supplement control unit 85 controls the pump and the
valve (not illustrated) of the supplement unit 212 to supplement
the tank 202 with a new second processing liquid. As described
above, when the predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met,
the control unit 18 performs a liquid exchange processing in
parallel with the process job.
[Liquid Exchange Processing Method]
Now, an example of a liquid exchange processing which is performed
in parallel with the process job will be explained in detail with
reference to FIG. 6. The processings shown in FIG. 6 are premised
on that the process job is performed in each of the processing
units 16. When multiple kinds of processing liquids are used, the
processings shown in FIG. 6 are performed independently for each of
the multiple kinds of processing liquids. Here, the liquid exchange
processing of the first processing liquid will be explained.
First, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the first
processing liquid as a determination target satisfies a first
condition (process S1). The first condition includes, for example,
an elapsed time after a previous liquid exchange is performed,
whether a predetermined time has elapsed, or whether the number of
sheets to be processed in the processing unit 16 has passed. If it
is determined that the first condition is not satisfied in the
process S1, the processing (determination) of the process S1 is
performed again after the elapse of a predetermined time.
Meanwhile, if it is determined that the first condition is
satisfied in the process S1, the control unit 18 determines whether
or not the first processing liquid satisfies a second condition
(process S2). The second condition is a condition on whether the
use of the processing liquid in the process job has been ended.
Further, when the process job is performed on the wafers W as a
processing unit, while performing a processing on a substrate in
the multiple substrates, which is lastly processed with the first
processing liquid, during the performing of the process job, if
there is a trouble that the corresponding processing cannot be
performed appropriately, the control unit 18 may determine that the
first processing liquid satisfies the second condition. If it is
determined that the second condition is not satisfied in the
process S2, the processing (determination) of the process S2 is
performed again after the elapse of a predetermined time.
Meanwhile, if it is determined that the second condition is
satisfied in the process S2, the control unit 18 determines that
the predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met, and then,
performs the liquid exchange processing of the first processing
liquid. To be specific, the control unit 18 controls the drain unit
110 to drain the first processing liquid in the tank 102 through
the drain line, and then, controls the supplement unit 112 to
supplement the tank 102 with the first processing liquid.
[Operation]
As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 10 according
to the present exemplary embodiment is provided with the processing
units 16 configured to process the wafers W with processing
liquids, the tanks 102 and 202 configured to store therein the
processing liquids, the processing liquid supply units 103 and 203
configured to supply the processing liquids in the tanks 102 and
202 to the processing units 16, the drain units 110 and 210
configured to drain the processing liquids in the tanks 102 and
202, the supplement units 112 and 212 configured to supplement the
tanks 102 and 202 with the processing liquids, and the control unit
18. The control unit 18 is configured to perform a process job by
controlling the processing liquid supply units 103 and 203 to
supply the processing liquids to the processing units 16 and
controlling the processing units 16 to process the wafers W with
the processing liquids and configured to perform, when
predetermined liquid exchange conditions are met during the
performing of the process job, the liquid exchange processing in
parallel with the process job by controlling the drain units 110
and 210 to drain the processing liquids in the tanks 102 and 202
and controlling the supplement units 112 and 212 to supplement the
tanks 102 and 202 with new processing liquids.
In general, when the liquid exchange is needed, the liquid exchange
processing is performed after the process job is ended. While the
liquid exchange processing is performed, the process job cannot be
performed. Therefore, the downtime of the apparatus (a time period
during which the apparatus cannot perform the process job) is
increased due to the effect of the liquid exchange processing. In
this regard, in the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to
the present exemplary embodiment, when the predetermined liquid
exchange conditions are met, the liquid exchange processing is
performed in parallel with the process job. Thus, the downtime of
the apparatus can be reduced as compared to the case of performing
the liquid exchange processing after the process job is ended.
Further, in the substrate processing apparatus 10, the control unit
18 determines that the above-described liquid exchange conditions
are met for the processing liquids that satisfy the first condition
according to the degradation state of the processing liquids stored
in the tanks 102 and 202 and the second condition according to the
performance status of the process job. The processing liquids need
to be exchanged when they are degraded, for example, after an
elapse of a predetermined time since they are stored. For this
reason, satisfying the condition (first condition) according to a
degradation state of the processing liquid becomes the liquid
exchange condition, and, thus, the liquid exchange processing can
be performed at a proper timing of exchanging the liquids. Further,
satisfying the condition (second condition) on the performance
status of the process job becomes the liquid exchange condition,
and, thus, the liquid exchange processing can be performed in
consideration of the status of the process job without affecting
the process job (i.e., substrate processing with the processing
liquids). That is, the first condition and the second condition
described above become the liquid exchange conditions, and, thus,
it is possible to reduce the downtime of the apparatus while
performing the process job properly.
Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 10, the control
unit 18 determines that the processing liquid whose use in the
process job has been ended satisfies the second condition. Thus,
with respect to the processing liquid which is not used any more in
the process job thereafter and does not affect the process job even
if the liquid exchange processing is performed, the liquid exchange
processing can be performed at a proper timing.
Moreover, in the substrate processing apparatus 10, when the
process job is performed on the wafers W as the processing unit,
while performing a processing on a substrate in the multiple
substrates, which is lastly processed with the processing liquid,
during the performing of the process job, if there is a trouble
that the corresponding processing cannot be performed
appropriately, the control unit 18 determines that the
corresponding processing liquid satisfies the second condition.
Typically, if there is a trouble during the performing of the
process job, the liquid exchange processing is performed after the
trouble is solved (i.e., after the process job is stopped and
recovered). In this regard, in the substrate processing apparatus
10 according to the present exemplary embodiment, it is determined
that the second condition is satisfied if there is a trouble while
the last wafer W to be processed with the processing liquid is
processed, and under the condition that the first condition is
satisfied, the liquid exchange processing is performed even while
the process job is being performed. The processing liquid being
used for processing the last wafer W is required to be exchanged
when the first condition is satisfied regardless of the occurrence
of trouble. For this reason, if there is a trouble while the last
wafer W is processed, it is determined that the second condition is
satisfied. Therefore, the liquid exchange processing is performed
without waiting for the recovery (to be specific, the liquid
exchange processing is performed under the condition that the first
condition is satisfied), and, thus, the downtime can be
reduced.
[Another Exemplary Embodiment]
So far, the exemplary embodiment has been described. However,
various changes and modifications may be added to the
above-described exemplary embodiment without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the
substrate processing apparatus 10, the processing units 16 may
process the wafers W with the first processing liquid and the
second processing liquid different from the first processing liquid
as the processing liquids, the reservoir may include the tank 102
that stores the first processing liquid and the tank 202 that
stores the second processing liquid, and the control unit 18 may
control the drain units 110 and 210 and the supplement units 112
and 212 to perform the liquid exchange processing for the first
processing liquid in the tank 102 in parallel with the liquid
exchange processing for the second processing liquid in the tank
202 when a difference between the expected time of meeting the
liquid exchange conditions for the first processing liquid and the
expected time of meeting the liquid exchange conditions for the
second processing liquid is within a predetermined period of
time.
FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams for describing the above-described
liquid exchange processing according to another exemplary
embodiment. If two kinds of processing liquids (first processing
liquid and second processing liquid) are used, the process job
cannot be performed while the liquid exchange processing of at
least one of the processing liquids is performed, and, thus, an
idle time occurs. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7A, if the
liquid exchange processing of the first processing liquid starts
first, and then, the liquid exchange processing of the second
processing liquid starts, for example, a little before the liquid
exchange processing of the first processing liquid is completed, an
idle time continuously occurs from when the liquid exchange
processing for the first processing liquid starts until the liquid
exchange processing of the second processing liquid is completed.
Therefore, the downtime during which the process job cannot be
performed is increased. In this regard, in the above-described
liquid exchange processing according to another exemplary
embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7B, the liquid exchange processing of
the first processing liquid and the liquid exchange processing of
the second processing liquid are performed in parallel. In this
case, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the difference
between the expected time of meeting the liquid exchange conditions
of the first processing liquid and the expected time of meeting the
liquid exchange conditions of the second processing liquid is
within a predetermined period of time. If it is within the
predetermined period of time, the control unit 18 controls the
drain units 110 and 210 and the supplement units 112 and 212 to
perform the liquid exchange processing of the first processing
liquid in parallel with the liquid exchange processing of the
second processing liquid. As described above, if the difference
between the expected time of meeting the liquid exchange conditions
of the first processing liquid and the expected time of meeting the
liquid exchange conditions of the second processing liquid is
within the predetermined period of time, the liquid exchange
processings of the respective processing liquids are performed in
parallel (a liquid exchange processing scheduled to be performed
later is performed in advance of the schedule). Thus, the time
(downtime) during which the process job cannot be performed can be
reduced. Further, when the liquid exchange processings of the
respective processing liquids are performed in parallel, the liquid
exchange processings of the respective processing liquids may not
be performed exactly at the same time, and the liquid exchange
processing of any one of the processing liquids may start earlier
(in advance) as long as the liquid exchange processings of the
respective processing liquids are performed in parallel at least
for some time.
Further, the control unit 18 may determine whether to perform the
liquid exchange processings of the respective processing liquids in
parallel (or advance the schedule of the liquid exchange processing
of the processing liquid) in consideration of time of the liquid
exchange processing of at least one of the first processing liquid
or the second processing liquid (time required for the liquid
exchange processing). Furthermore, the control unit 18 may
determine a staring time of the liquid exchange processing
performed in advance of the schedule in consideration of time of
the liquid exchange processing of at least one of the first
processing liquid or the second processing liquid.
It should be understood that these embodiments have been presented
by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of
the present disclosure. Indeed, the embodiments described herein
may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various
omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments
described herein may be made without departing from the
accompanying claims and the spirit of the present disclosure.
* * * * *